Faced with significant difficulties in maintaining its Russian-origin S-300 air defense systems, Greece has been considering retiring these systems for months, with plans to transfer them to an allied country. The news today is that the chosen recipient would be Armenia, not Ukraine, as previously suggested. According to local media reports, the change in course stems from strong resistance from the political opposition to the initiative proposed by the current administration led by Kyriakos Mitsotakis. Consequently, the decision has been made to strengthen ties with the government in Yerevan.
Moving forward with plans to phase out Russian weaponry (including the short-range Tor-M1 and OSA-AKM systems), Greek military authorities have indicated that the S-300s in question will be replaced by the Israeli-made “David’s Sling” system. This aligns with Greece’s policy of not transferring any military assets without securing replacements first. In this regard, Athens is reportedly planning an investment exceeding €2 billion to acquire the replacement system, with expectations for deployment by 2026. This timeline provides insight into when the transfer to Armenia might take place.
To better illustrate the situation, it is helpful to recall the case of BMP vehicle transfers to Ukraine. Greece sent 40 of these vehicles to support Kyiv’s war effort in exchange for receiving an equal number of German Marder armored vehicles. It’s worth noting that Greece’s total BMP fleet numbered 120, but only 40 units were replaced at the time of the transfer. Reports from Athens suggest that an agreement to acquire up to 164 American Bradley vehicles could be finalized in the near future.
Returning to Greece’s air defense plans, the country aims to establish an extensive network deployed across the Aegean islands, consisting of up to three different systems with varying ranges. Specifically, the aforementioned David’s Sling will be the longest-range system, capable of neutralizing enemy threats up to 300 kilometers away. The other systems in the network include the Barak MX, with a range of 35 to 150 km, and the Spyder, which covers a range of 20 to 50 km.
Finally, it is worth noting that the selection of Armenia for the transfer is not surprising at all, given the strong cultural ties between the two nations and the growing military cooperation since Turkey openly supported Azerbaijan in its advances over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. There have been numerous examples of mutual support between the two countries in recent years, such as the participation of Armenian troops in the “Olympic Cooperation 24” exercise held at the Petrohori shooting range in Xanthi. This exercise included large-scale maneuvers with armored vehicles and unmanned systems.
*Images used for illustrative purposes.
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